When All's Fair
by Misura
Summary: Some battles leave no victors. [PheliosDuzell, snippet]


When all's fair

_Or: In love and war_

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Warnings/notes: Duzell/Phelios, drabble-ish shortie, ooc?

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Game.

(!) This ficlet is based on a musing of Duzell's in volume 5 of the manga and thus might be considered as slightly spoilerish for that.

written at 13th march 2005, by Misura

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_"I want you to be mine." I've heard that before. In my last life._

Ci Xeneth Act 3, first page

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"I want you to be mine," Phelios tells him, and Duzell knows that this poor, short-lived, -human- fool means it, that he truly wishes to make a being more powerful than he can imagine in his wildest dreams his, and his alone, like some sort of pet.

The notion is utterly absurd, the words so arrogant that it takes his breath away and makes him want to laugh at the sheer lunacy of the man who spoke them. Laugh, and then slap that so-called holy sword out of Phelios' hand, and tell him that he's Duzell, the vampire king, soon to be king of the world, and that if anyone's going to belong to someone, it'll be Phelios.

Except, of course, that he doesn't really want Phelios to be his. Well, he does, only ... the thought of Phelios like one of his humans, an empty-eyed doll that obeys his every whim, holds little to no appeal at all. He wants to own Phelios' passion, Phelios' fire, Phelios' alive-ness.

He wants the things he can't have or hold, for even if Phelios were to abandon his precious morals and pride, the time they'd have together would only last for a few years, which is no time at all. This whole conversation is senseless, for there can be only one ending to this, and he thinks Phelios knows this as well as he does.

One of them will die here, on this field that's meant for war, battle and bloodshed. Duzell doesn't intend to be that one; he is, after all, superior to a mere human in every way. He can't lose.

Phelios talks on, speaking of how it must be possible for vampires and humans to live together, how there is no need for this fight. His actions belie his words though, for Sidia does far more than merely deflect Duzell's blows. Duzell ignores Phelios' words, listening only to the sound of his voice, the way a variety of emotions is given away by its tone.

To say that he feels alive in this moment, knowing that at present, all of Phelios' attention, all of Phelios' fire and passion and alive-ness is focused on him, would be an understatement. Duzell grins, not even minding that he has not yet managed to taste Phelios' blood, or that there is something about Sidia that disturbs him.

Once, he spots an opening in Phelios' defence, an opportunity for a straight stab to the heart. He lets it slip, wondering for the briefest of moments if perhaps he, too, has slipped up at some point, and if Phelios has neglected to use that chance. Or chosen not to use that chance.

No time seems to pass during their dance, and yet Duzell knows that to be an illusion, for Phelios' breath comes a little quicker now than it did before. For a human, to be sure, Phelios possesses extraordinary stamina, but compared to a vampire king ... well, suffice to say that there -is- no comparison, no matter how much Duzell would like for it to be otherwise, just this one time.

He supposes that what people -be they humans or vampires- want can't change the reality. Although, perhaps, it is simply that wishes always concern impossibilities.

"I want you to be mine," Phelios has said before, and repeats now, through clenched teeth.

"I want to be yours," Duzell replies, because in this moment, this handful of seconds, it's true. Pride be damned; he's already decided that he can't stand the idea of Phelios as some mindless pet, so if the only alternative is not having Phelios at all, not even as an opponent, he's willing to settle for the next best thing, even if it's also a pretty bad and stupid thing.

Sidia barely misses him, cutting through hair rather than flesh.

Duzell spits out a curse and demands if Phelios has heard him, or if he has vampire kings offering to be his every day, that he spurns the offer so easily.

Phelios smiles, too brightly and far too kindly. And speaks the spell of La Gamme.

OWARI


End file.
